


The Investigation

by zathara001



Series: Z's Evil Author Day Offerings [1]
Category: Manifest (TV 2018), NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Evil Author Day, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29463915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zathara001/pseuds/zathara001
Summary: When NCIS Director Leon Vance is told of his brother NSA Director Robert Vance's death, he sends Special Agent Tony DiNozzo to find out what really happened.
Series: Z's Evil Author Day Offerings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2164161
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	The Investigation

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place during NCIS season 6, before episode 18 ("Knockout"), and is definitely not canon-compliant for that episode. Probably best just to believe it never happens (grin). The story also takes place after Manifest season 1 episode 9 ("Dead Reckoning") and is AU from there.
> 
> As always, all rights in this work are given to the creators/owners of NCIS and Manifest.
> 
> Evil Author Day disclaimer: Read at your own risk - especially since I have a contrary muse: the more other people want something written, the more said muse mule-sits (i.e., sits down like a mule that doesn't want to be led anywhere. Good luck getting it to move once it's made up its mind…). That said, I never say never, so any of these might be completed. I just don't know when/if.
> 
> Further to that, if anyone should be inspired to continue any of these, or write your own with a similar concept, or take any other inspiration from them, please do! Just drop a comment so I can go read it.

Tony DiNozzo had hoped that he was arriving to work early enough that he could go straight to the director's office without having to speak to his team first. He should have known better.

"Where have you been these last few days, Tony?" Ziva David asked. "On the wall?"

_On the wall?_ Tony turned the phrase over in his mind, trying to figure out what she meant by it. Then realization dawned.

"You've been working at NCIS long enough to know the term is _AWOL_ ," he told her. "And no, I wasn't AWOL. I was TAD."

"TAD?" Tim McGee sounded suspicious. "Really? Not another undercover operation?"

"Not undercover," Tony said. "And that's all I can say about it. Why are you two in so early on a Friday morning?"

"Navy ensign was found dead in his bunk this morning at Anacostia," McGee answered. "No obvious cause of death. We just got back from the scene. Gibbs is in the morgue with Ducky."

"Well, you can give me all the details when I get back," Tony said.

"Back?" Ziva asked. "Where are you going now?"

"Brief the director on my assignment." Tony was halfway to the stairs to Leon Vance's office by the time he finished the sentence.

This early, the director's secretary wasn't at her desk yet, so Tony knocked on the door to the inner office.

"Come in," came immediately, and Tony stepped into the office, closing the door securely behind him. "DiNozzo."

"Good morning, Director." Tony crossed to stand in front of Leon Vance. The man might have chosen him to conduct a special investigation, but that didn't mean they were familiar enough that he'd sit down without Vance's approval.

Which came in the form of Vance waving him to a seat. "Well?"

"Well." Tony sat, blowing out a breath as he did so. "Normally, I'd just tell you my conclusion and answer any questions you have. But this - this is weird, so I'm going to start from the beginning. Bear with me, please."

Vance gave him a long, hard look, but finally nodded once, his expression tight.

"I started with Detective Jared Vasquez, who was recovering at NYC Community Hospital…"

***

Michaela Stone frowned as she approached Jared's room. The door was closed, and the blinds on the window, too. Her heart sped up with her stride as she almost ran to it. Jared was okay - he'd woken up last night, alert and recovering. Had something happened overnight?

"Jared!" She slammed the door open, only to stop in her tracks at the sight of Jared's visitor.

A man with sandy brown hair wearing a tailored suit sat in the chair by Jared's bed - though he rose when she entered.

"Mick." Jared smiled at her.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"Detective Stone." The visitor pulled a wallet from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and opened it for her. "I'm Special Agent Tony DiNozzo with NCIS."

Michaela took his wallet before he could put it away, ignoring his smile as she examined the badge and identification inside it. It looked authentic enough, so she handed it back to him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "There's no way NCIS can claim jurisdiction over this."

"Not jurisdiction, no," DiNozzo answered. "But I am authorized to look into the death of NSA Director Robert Vance."

"That makes no sense," Michaela said. "If there were any investigation, it should be the FBI."

"Except that my director is Leon Vance," DiNozzo said. "Brother of NSA Director Vance. He called in a favor from SECNAV, who went to SECDEF, and lots more people with abbreviated titles - which may or may not have included POTUS - and here I am."

Michaela chuckled in spite of herself. Then his words registered. "POTUS? As in the president?"

"The death of a high-ranking officer like Director Vance causes concern at the highest levels," DiNozzo said.

Michaela nodded. "Okay. What can we tell you?"

DiNozzo grinned. "Come on, Detective - you know better than that. Keep the witnesses separated so they can't coordinate their stories."

Michaela smirked at him. "I thought that was for suspects, not witnesses."

"Both," DiNozzo said. "But I'm almost done with Detective Vasquez, if you want to wait outside."

Michaela frowned and shot a glance at Jared.

"It's okay, Mick," Jared assured her. "He's one of the good guys."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he brought me coffee," Jared answered. "Real coffee."

Michaela laughed. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Jared said. "And he was a cop, too."

"Peoria, Philly, and Baltimore," DiNozzo said. "And yes, I had a shiny detective's shield, too."

"Okay," Michaela said. "I'll wait outside. But I want those blinds open."

"Deal," DiNozzo said, and offered his hand.

She shook it briskly, opened the blinds, and stepped back into the hallway, watching as DiNozzo sat back down beside Jared's bed.

Jared seemed comfortable enough, and DiNozzo's explanation for his presence made sense - or at least wasn't any less crazy than anything that had happened since flight 828 landed - but still Michaela's mind wouldn't rest.

What kind of investigation - _official_ investigation - would there be into Vance's death and the operation that had led to it? And what would happen to her - to all of the 828 passengers - as a result?

At least nobody was being experimented on anymore, thanks to Fiona Clarke. Michaela made a mental note to call her later, to find out how the passengers, especially Marko Valeriev, were faring now that they were safe.

The door to Jared's room opened, and Michaela blinked as DiNozzo emerged.

He grinned. "Told you I was almost done."

"Yeah, but in cop time that could mean anything up to an hour," Michaela said.

DiNozzo laughed outright at that. "Fair point. But I promise I'll be as accurate as I can with any estimates I give you."

Michaela blinked. "You think you're going to give me more estimates?"

"It's possible. I do need to interview you, too. Everyone who was at the scene."

Michaela gave a resigned sigh. "And you want to interview me now, before I can compare stories with anyone else."

DiNozzo grinned. "Got it in one."


End file.
